Fishermen mistook part of lost American rocket part for whale

Scilly Isles fishermen mistook the lost piece of an American rocket which exploded minutes after take-off at Florida for a whale.

Joseph Thomas, from Tresco Boat Services, found the section of rocket while travelling around the north end of the island.  He said: "There were lots of gulls on the water and I thought initially it was a dead whale and the birds were feeding off it."  "First thoughts, were that it was part of a plane, but then we scraped the barnacles off and we saw it was part of a rocket.” he added.

The large piece of metal, believed to be from the SpaceX Falcon-9, had travelled over 4,000 miles across the Atlantic.

Fisherman Pete Hicks, who helped carry the piece to land, said: "My friend found the object and thought it was a dead whale.  "He was unable to pull it ashore so we went out and used a crane to tow it in. "It was covered in barnacles. It was only when we got it ashore and they cleared them away that we saw the USA flag and realised what it was. It was light but very strong.  We get all sorts of things washed up but this is very rare."

Martin Leslie, coastal area commander for the coastguard, said: "It seems most likely to be the unmanned SpaceX Falcon-9.” The rocket was destined for the International Space Station and its explosion in Florida cost NASA a reported $110m worth of equipment and supplies.

The 10m x 4m chunk is currently being held on the island. The debris has appeared five months after the incident. Coastguards issued a warning to shipping in the area after the discovery.

Martin Leslie praised the work of the fishermen and lifeguards.   "We're grateful for all those who helped in its recovery - it was a great example of the community working together."

Question 1 (2 points) Indicate whether the following statements are true or false and write down which part of the text justifies your answer.

a. The rocket fell off a plane.

b. The rocket was seen by the man from the shore.

c. They think almost for sure that it is part of a known rocket.

d. The piece has been taken back to the NASA headquarters.

Question 2 (2 points) Answer the following questions in your own words.

a. How did the man narrate the finding of the rocket?

b. What did they do with the rocket?

Question 3 (1.5 points) Find words or phrases in the text that correspond in meaning to the words and definitions given.

a. onto land par 4                   b. goods par 5            c Piece par 6

d.) to applaude par 7              e. rescuers par 7

Question 4 (1.5 points) Complete the following sentences without changing the meaning.

a. Scilly Isles fishermen mistook the lost piece of an American rocket  for a whale.

The lost ……………..

b. “We're grateful for all those who helped in its recovery”, he said.

He said that………

c. It seems most likely to be the unmanned SpaceX Falcon-9.

It seems it ……………………………………..

Question 5 (3 points) Write a short essay (120-150 words) on the following topic:

Do you keep the things you do not need? Have  you ever thought of selling them?